More Like Human
by The Rockerbabe
Summary: Their case was turning cold; their only evidence, a bracelet. Then, for that piece of jewelery, a life is put up for a trade. The exchange will take place, but will the consequences turn deadly? GSR
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: CSI does not belong to me. It belongs to CBS, Anthony E. Zuiker, ect.

Author's Note: I would like to thank:

****

Rouch at the YTDAW board for playing muse for me. Without you, I would be stuck with writer's block. 

Lunakaria: for getting me further into CSI and for helping me with future chapter five. And don't forget: "Mary chucked…"

And without further ado, onward to the story…

Prologue

"I told you that I am _not_ discussing this!" Gil Grissom said through clenched teeth, his usual stoic features replaced by glaring eyes and a grim frown.

"We found evidence of _you in her bed_!" an equally angry Nick Stokes replied, "And now she's missing and you're holding back information that could help us find a timeline!"

"Look, Griss, we know you're having sex with Sara. You can't deny it. As you always say: 'evidence doesn't lie.'" Catherine Willows said from her post against the door.

Silence filled the room as the supervisor sat down in his desk chair, looking tired.

"C'mon, boss." Warrick Brown added from besides Catherine, "What you say won't leave this office."

"No." replied Grissom firmly.

With the last shred of patience gone, the woman exploded.

"God damn it, Gil!" she hissed, "Don't you ever want to see Sara _again?_ _Alive_?"

Grissom closed his eyes for a moment and flinched slightly as the images of the bloodstained wall of Sara Sidle's bedroom played behind his closed lids. The man sighed deeply. _Sara…_

"After yesterday's shift, I went home with her, we had sex, as you already know, I stayed with her until Brass called me…then you know what went on from there."

"What time were you there?" Nick asked, his anger wiped away by the sad expression on his friend's face.

"We got to her house about seven-thirty, I left about eleven."

"How long have you and Sara been…involved?" Warrick asked, curious.

"I'm glad you finally got your head away from your microscope." Catherine declared, a small smile on her lips as she recalled their past conversation.

A small responding smile formed on his. "So am I."

The office phone rang, causing everyone, but Grissom, to jump slightly. The man picked up the phone and answered it.

"Grissom."

"Hello, Mr. Grissom." A distorted voice replied, sending a shiver of fear down Grissom's spine, "If you would like to see Miss Sidle alive again, you must follow my instructions _very_ carefully…"


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Two Days Earlier 

The nightshift crew had been called to a crime scene, a labeled homicide. The victim was an adult Caucasian female, found in an alleyway off of Freemont Street. Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle arrived at the scene in her Tahoe. The two criminalists exited the vehicle and walked to the rear to retrieve their kits.

Cases in hand, they approached homicide detective Jim Brass, who was watching corner David Phillips, attend to the body. The female victim was sprawled out on the ground, her blond hair fanned out around her head like a golden halo. She was wearing a pair of black slacks and a baby blue tank top. Sara looked down at the woman and noted that she looked about her age. With a long exhale, Sara put on a pair of latex gloves and saw Grissom had set down his kit and doing the same thing out of the corner of her eye.

"Any ID on the body?" Grissom asked.

"No." David replied, with a sigh.

"The vic was found by the couple over there." Brass pointed to a teenage boy and girl huddled together by his unmarked car, "They were headed to their car after they had dinner at Lillie Langtry's." he smiled grimly, "First date."

Sara joined in his humorless smile. "Nothing brings young love together like a little death, I guess."

The trio watched as the boy wrapped his arms more tightly around his date and placed a light kiss on her forehead. Sara looked over at Grissom, who stood beside her. Their eyes locked in unspoken communication. The woman knelt down and opened her kit. She removed her camera and put in fresh film. She then proceeded to take pictures of the body and the surrounding area. Grissom and Brass watched her for a moment, then headed over to the teens to ask questions.

"Is it okay to move the D.B. yet?" David asked as he watched Sara put away the camera.

"Sure. Do you know the C.O.D?"

"My unofficial observation is, Blunt force trauma to the head more than likely." He replied, "We'll know more after the autopsy."

"Thanks, David." She flashed him a gap-toothed smile.

"You're welcome, Sara."

Two paramedics brought over a gurney and a body bag. They placed the woman in the protective bag, zipped it up, and then lifted it onto the gurney. Sara's gaze fell to where the body had laid and a tiny glint of metal caught her eye. She fished for a pair of tweezers and an evidence baggie in her kit. When she found them, she leaned forward and plucked the object from the ground.

It was an ID bracelet; the kind a boyfriend would give his girlfriend as a present. Part of the link chain was broken away from the plate. There was an inscription on the surface: ETERNITY. _Serious boyfriend?_ Sara wondered as she bagged it and labeled it.

"What do you have there?" Grissom's voice came from behind her.

"Part of a bracelet, a.k.a.: the _only_ piece of evidence I've found at the scene." She looked up at him, "David said that the C.O.D. was blunt force trauma…this was a dump job, or else there'd be blood everywhere."

Grissom nodded. "Get your kit and we'll go back to the lab and process the bracelet and the body."

"You're driving." She said, removing her keys from her coat pocket and tossing them up to him.

The man caught them easily and picked up his kit. Sara closed her kit and stood up; she called a 'good-bye' to Brass over her shoulder, and walked back to the Tahoe.


	3. Chapter Two

Author's Note: _Burning Bright_ belongs to the awesome band Shinedown.

Chapter Two

Back at the lab, Sara logged the bracelet into evidence and took it into trace to fingerprint. But she would have to use the superglue fuming technique first. She set up the bracelet and superglue in the air-tight container and started the process. Seeing as there was no rush on the case, Sara decided to let the method take its full course; it would be finished in 48 hours.

She yawned outright as a sudden wave of fatigue came over her. The woman glanced at her watched and saw that is was 3:30 a.m. She'd been up for three days straight and needed a caffeine buzz and something to eat. Sara got up and went down the hall to the break room.

Inside the room, Warrick was already pouring a cup of coffee when she came in. Sara flashed him a quick, dimpled smile after he passed the cup over.

"Thanks, Warrick." She said, grabbing the sugar and pouring it in.

"Welcome." He poured himself a cup and studied her face, "You look like hell."

"Gee, thanks. Nice to know I'm so wildly attractive to my co-workers."

"You still working the Menendez case?"

"Uh, no…. just wrapped that up a few hours ago…I'm working a new one with Grissom."

"A _new_ case!" he sounded shocked, "You need to go home and sleep. Overtime's a great thing, but not when you look like you're going to fall asleep on your feet."

"I'm fine."

"You always say that."

"It's true…"

"I'm going to go talk to Grissom." Warrick said as he exited the room.

Sara rolled her eyes and walked over to the community mini-fridge and opened it. Her weary eyes scanned its contents, trying to locate anything that was hers. She found a banana yogurt and took it out of the fridge. She then rummaged through a drawer to find a spoon. When she opened it, she began to eat and sat down at the table. The fatigue that had an appearance in the trace lab began to turn into exhaustion. _Damn it._ Sara pushed away the container and sighed. She folded her arms on the table and rested her head on top of them.

"You need to send her home." Warrick said to Grissom as they walked down the hallway, "She looks like she's gonna collapse."

"You know Sara. She likes to push herself." He replied, "I'll talk to her."

"Thanks, Griss. She's too good to burn out now."

"I know. Where is she?"

"Break room."

"I'm gonna go meet Cath down at DNA. Good luck."

"Thanks."

The two men separated. Grissom smiled as he approached the break room. Sara was asleep at the table. He went in and placed a hand on her shoulder. The woman jolted awake and lifted her head, her eyes meeting with his.

"Griss…? Oh, shit. Damn it!" she mumbled.

"Go home, Sara. I'll have Warrick sub for the rest of your shift."

"No, no, no." she protested, "I'm-I'm fine."

She got to her feet and swayed unsteadily on her own. Grissom placed a hand on her waist to steady her. A small, amused, smile touched the man's lips.

"Will you be okay to drive home?" he asked.

"Of course." She moved away from him and stumbled, "Maybe."

"I'll drive you home."

"Fine."

The pair exited the break room and met up with Catherine, who was carrying an empty coffee mug.

"Hey, Cath, will you cover me for a little while?" Grissom asked.

"Uh, sure." She raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"I'm going to take Sara home."

"Ooh. Warrick told me she looked about ready to drop."

"She is, but she won't admit it." Grissom replied, casting a glance at Sara, who appeared to be asleep standing up.

The man touched her arm and gave a small smile at Catherine.

"Thanks."

"No problem." She smiled at Sara, who was looking around with half open eyes, "Sleep tight."

"Mmm." Came the sleepy replied.

With a soft chuckle, Catherine walked into the break room as the man and the woman made their way through the office building.

Outside, the chilly Las Vegas morning air h it their face like any icy slap. The pair got into Sara's Tahoe. Grissom, who still had her keys, started the engine as Sara buckled in and stretched out in the passenger seat. As they left the parking lot, the woman turned on the radio as smiled tiredly as the slow rhythm of "Burning Bright" by Shinedown played.

__

I feel like there is no need for conversation

Some questions are better left with a reason

And I would rather reveal myself than my situation

Now and then I consider, my hesitation

The more the light shines through me

I pretend to close my eyes

The more the dark consumes me

I pretend I'm burning

Burning bright

While the car traveled down the road, Sara watched Grissom as he started out at the street ahead. A small smile touched the sleepy woman's face and she reached out and took his hand. The man glanced at her and returned her smile. He laced his fingers with hers and sighed contentedly. His thumb trailed lazily up and down the skin of her thumb and knuckle, in an intimate action. At a red light, he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. Sara looked at him and her heart gave a flip; she had fallen hard for this man.

But she didn't know what still laid ahead for them in the next 48 hours…


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

They arrived at Sara's house a few minutes later. Grissom parked the car and shut off the engine. The pair exited the SUV and headed into the house. Once inside, Sara gave Grissom a kiss on the lips. The man kissed her back and steered her towards the bedroom. After they crossed the threshold, they broke apart breathing hard.

"Go to bed." the man said gently.

"Stay with me." The woman murmured, her voice held the edge of a sleepy purr.

"You need to sleep. If I stay with you, we won't be sleeping."

She smiled and raised her eyes to his. "Please?"

"Tempting, darling, _very_ tempting."

Sara pouted briefly, then sighed in defeat. "Be that way."

The woman backed away from him and began to strip off her clothes. Grissom watched, unable to tear his gaze away. She smiled the smile of a smug woman.

"Still opposed to staying?"

"Against every molecule in my body." He stated, his blue eyes blazing with an intense fire, "You just had to do that, didn't you."

"Oh, yeah." The woman, clad in her bra and panties, smirked and headed across the room to her dresser and pulled out a silky nightgown.

"Now you're killing me." Grissom groaned.

She smiled, yawned, and donned the nightgown. "Good!"

"Sleep now." He said, "Then I'll take you to dinner before work."

"Sounds good."

She walked back over to him and kissed him again; longer and more passionate. When they parted, she gave him a slight push away from her.

"If you don't leave now, I will tie you up and have my way with you."

"And that proposition is suppose to make me push away from her.

"And that proposition is suppose to make me _want_ to _leave_?" Grissom asked.

"It started out that way, but now I know you'll just enjoy it."

The man just smiled angelically.

"Get out!" she said with gentle finality.

He never lost his smile as he brushed a quick kiss against her lips and walked out. Sara smiled as his figure vanish from view and collapsed onto her bed. She fell asleep almost instantly.

When Grissom returned to the lab, he headed to the morgue. Doc Robbins had the woman on the slab; covered by a white sheet from the collarbone down. The pathologist was across the room at his desk, typing up his report.

"Did we I.D. our Jane Doe?" Grissom asked.

Robbins turned and gave him a smile. "Yep. Chelsea Donovan, age 33."

"Cause of death?"

The older man grabbed his cane and got up. He limped over to the table and gestured his hand.

"Blunt force trauma. She fought back, though. There are defensive wounds on her arms and hands, bruises and cuts. She also had sex before she died."

"Any fluids?"

"No. Perp used a condom." Replied the doctor, "Any guesses to what happened?"

"Lover's quarrel gone wrong, perhaps." Grissom sighed, "We have little evidence to what happened…I'm not ruling out anything, except for natural causes."

"Mmm."

"See you later, Doc." The supervisor said, leaving Robbins to finish his work.

"Oh, Gil?' the other man called out, stopping him at the door.

"Yes?"

"Did you or Sara scrape under the girl's nails?"

Grissom furrowed his brows. "No, why?"

"The underside of the nail showed evidence of being scraped post-mortem."

"Huh." The man exited the morgue; his brows still furrowed in thoughtfulness.

On his way to his office, Grissom met up with Warrick.

"Hey, Griss." The tall CSI said with a smile, "How long did it take you to talk Sara into going home."

"Not long, surprisingly. But she didn't want to sleep when she got there."

"Figures." Warrick rolled his eyes, "Well, I'm off to meet Cath."

"Have fun." Replied his boss, "I have to tackle a mountain of paper work."

"Ah, the joys of being supervisor."

Grissom gave him a not-too-friendly look, which made the man laugh heartily as they parted ways.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

The Next Afternoon

Sara had slept all through the morning and work up at four o'clock feeling like a brand new woman. She took a leisurely relaxing half-an-hour shower. The woman got dressed in a pair of black dressy slacks and a v-neck red t-shirt. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was four forty-five.

The woman grabbed her make up bag from the top of her dresser and headed back into the bathroom. Sara wiped off the moisture on the mirror with her right hand and hummed to herself. She applied a frosty, shimmering white powder underneath her brows and a charcoal gray to her lids. Then came the back eyeliner and mascara.

She smiled at her reflection. _Perfect_. Her gaze drifted upward as Grissom's face materialized behind her.

"You always look beautiful, my love." He said, stepping into the room.

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. Sara relaxed into his embrace and kissed him on the cheek.

"Did you sleep well?" Grissom asked.

"It was good." She turned in his arms and gave him a lusty grin, "It could have been better if you would've stayed."

He chuckled. "Tonight, honey."

"Well, what if I don't want you to stay?" she teased.

The man grinned, his eyes glinting wickedly. He backed her up against the counter and pinned her there. Sara's breath caught in her throat and her mind filled with millions of naughty thoughts.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked, huskily.

"On second thought…"

She captured his lips in a passionate kiss. After a moment, they broke apart, leaving Sara wanting more. But she could handle a promise of 'later'.

"Come, darling, let's get something to eat."

Twenty-minutes later, the couple pulled into the parking lot of Mongolian Barbecue. They held hands as they weaved through the cars and made their way to the front door. Inside revealed a lively crowd of people. When the hostess approached, Sara unlaced her fingers from Grissom's with slow reluctance.

"Just you two for this evening?" the woman asked.

"Yes." Replied Grissom.

"Smoking or non?"

"Non. Preferably." Sara answered, wanting to remove herself from that broken habit.

"Alrighty. Please follow me."

The young woman led the pair to a small booth in the corner. As they walked the man placed his hand on the small of the woman's back in an unconscious gesture of possession. At the booth, Sara got in first, followed by Grissom.

"Your waitress will be with you shortly." The hostess said, smiling cheerfully and heading back to her post.

Less than a minute later, another young woman appeared. Her dark hair was up in a high ponytail. A robotic cheerful smile was plastered on her lips.

"Hi, I'm Trinity." She said, "And I'll be your waitress for this evening. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Coffee." The pair said in unison, both wanting a decent cup of coffee, unlike the stuff they drank at the lab.

"Okay." The woman jotted that down, "Here's your menus. And I'll be right back with your coffee."

"Why do they bother with menus when there's only three choices?" Sara muttered after the waitress had gone.

Grissom chuckled and set his menu down, his eyes scanning the busy atmosphere. A group of teenagers were at a long table, laughing and singing along with the music that played through the restaurant.

"…And I don't know what I'm diving into! Just hangin' by a moment here with you!" They sang loud and out of key.

Sara smiled. "They're having fun."

"Seems like it. Oddly enough, that seems like something Greg would do."

"Yeah."

The waitress reappeared with two steaming coffee mugs. "They're in here all the time. Do you know what you'd like?"

"We'll both have the salad and one bowl." Grissom answered, glancing quickly at Sara, who smiled in agreement.

"Okay." Trinity said, her pen scratching away on the paper, "I'd get in line A.S.A.P. before that table gets up for seconds."

"Seconds?" Sara said, surprised, "Everyone I know can only manage one…"

"I think they fast before they come here." Trinity grinned, "Enjoy."

The woman walked away and the pair got up. They grabbed bowls and headed to the stations. Grissom went to the meat, while Sara avoided it completely and making a bee-line directly to the veggie station. Once their bowls were filled and sauces were chosen, the pair headed over to the horseshoe shaped counter that surrounded the circular grill. The cooks took their dishes and began their art.

One of the cooks, a twenty-ish man with black spiked hair, did a little dance around the grill and winked at Sara. The woman looked at Grissom with wide eyes and signed to him:

"S.O.S."

He laughed as their orders were put in new bowls and placed on the counter. Grabbing their meals, the pair walked back to their table.

"I'm so not tipping him." Sara muttered.

The sum had just set on the horizon when the couple entered the lab, all trace of their relationship gone. They shared a secret smile before they separated; Grissom went to his office, Sara went to the locker room.

Inside, the woman sat down on the bench across from her locker and stared at the closed door as her mind drifted off to thoughts about Grissom. The door to the locker room swung open and Nick enter the room.

"Hey, Sara." He said, going to his locker and opening it.

"Hey, Nick.' She replied, tearing her gaze away from the door, "What's up?"

"After work me and Warrick are goin' to go to breakfast. Wanna join?"

Sara watched him fuss with the contents of his locker. "No. I already have plans."

"Oohh. Gotta date?"

"Oh, yeah. Me and my bed." _And Gil Grissom_. She added silently.

"Sounds great."

"Y'know, it really is."

They laughed. Nick was like the older brother she hadn't seen in 25 years. Though she was close to him and the rest of the nightshift crew, she could not tell them. Not yet anyways. Her and Grissom's relationship, now that everything they felt for each other was out in the open between them, was running smoothly. If anyone else knew, there was a greater chance that Ecklie would find out. And that would be a death sentence.

"What's going on in here?" Warrick asked as he joined them.

"Just some brother/sister-like bonding." Nick replied, nudging Sara with his elbow.

"Well can a _brotha_ join in on this bonding?" he asked, smiling.

"Of course." Sara smiled back, flashing her imfamous cute gap.

It was Warrick's turn to laugh as the woman stood and flung her arms around him.

****

BEEP!

BUZZ!

BEEP!

All three CSI's pagers went off at once. Sara parted from Warrick and grabbed her.

"Grissom." She revealed.

"Greg." Nick said.

"Catherine." Added Warrick.

The trio exited the locker room and parted ways. Sara found Grissom in his office, putting on his FORENSICS windbreaker.

"What's up, Griss?"

"Brass just called. Our crime scene's been disturbed."

"Swell."

"It might give us more evidence to what happened or who the perp is."

"Sweet."

"Let's go, my dear."

Thunder rumbled in the distance when they arrived. They could see the ripped yellow DO NOT CROSS tape. Sara jumped out of the Tahoe and rushed to the back to get her kit before the rain. _This feels like deja-vu._ She thought.Grissom, who had his on his lap, headed over to the alley.

The woman jogged after him. Stepping into the passageway, Sara's alert eyes scanned the area. A trashcan was dented and over on its side. There was a few cardboard boxes ripped up and scattered across the cement surface. There was also a miniscule trace of blood on the brick wall.

"You know what happens when you get into a fight with a wall…." Grissom stated.

"The wall always wins." Sara finished, "I'll get a swab."

The woman opened her kit and retrieve a swab. She wiped the tip across the blood, turning the white tip red. Satisfied with the sample, she capped the swab and put it back in her kit. The rumble of thunder came louder now, more urgent.

Sara glanced at Grissom who was gathering the scattered pieces of boxes.

"Would you like a hand?" she asked.

But the man didn't reply. His gaze had drifted upward toward the sky.

"Close your kit, Sara." He said, not looking at her.

The woman didn't argue. He always seemed to know something just before she did. Just as the case was locked, it began to rain in heavy sheets

"Shit!" Sara cried, picking up her kit and running back to the SVU.

Grissom, who had dropped the ruined box pieces, was right behind her. Once inside the car, the two overly soggy criminalists shared unhappy looks.

"Well…" Sara said, "At least we got the blood sample."

The man just looked at her.

The pair returned to the lab and dropped off the sample to Greg. They then busied themselves with going over the case notes and hypothesized about what could have happened.

Unlike the usual end of the shift, where the sun rose on the horizon, declaring the shift change, it ended with the rumble of thunder and the flash of lightning.

Sara waited for Grissom in the locker room after everyone else had gone. She smiled to herself as her mind went over her plan for the rest of the day with her boyfriend. The woman was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't hear him enter the room.

"Sara?" he said loudly.

"Huh? What? Sorry." She gave him a lusty smile, "Just thinkin'."

"About what?"

"Me having my way with you."

His eyes darkened. "Let's get outta here and make it reality."


	6. Chapter Five

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all my friends. Mes amies, without you, my lunch would be a quiet boring thing. And to Louva: I. Am. Scuba Steve! And to the ghost that is in my kitchen, you stole the last piece of bread you bastard, I hope you enjoy it. That was good garlic bread…Also, this is my first ever sex scene…well, not mine…it was written my friend on a dare for me. Thanks forever to Lunakaria.

Chapter Five

The rain was coming down heavier as the pair arrived at Sara's house. It was the kind of rain that made windshield wipers pointless. The sound of the drops became rhythmic background music to the two silent passengers. They shared a look and reached for the handles. Their muscles tensed as the silent count to three was made before they dashed up to the porch.

Sara fumbled with her keys for a moment before finding the right one and jamming it into the lock. She could feel Grissom's presence behind her as she yanked the handle to the right and opened the door with relief. Inside with the door shut, the two waterlogged CSI's shared identical smirks of unhappiness. They stripped off their soggy shoes and socks and left them in the foyer.

Grissom looked at Sara and caught her eye. With the commencing of their geek-mind meld, the pair stepped toward each other. But it was the man who closed the space between them. He used his thumbs to separate the soaked shirt from Sara's skin and allowed his hands to move slowly up her damp back. The t-shirt was then tossed somewhere within the area of the living room, it's destination unimportant.

His lips captured her in a passionate kiss. Not breaking the lip lock, the man steered her backward toward the bedroom. Having many moments like this, he had memorized the layout of her house, saving them the pain of running into the walls…when they didn't have a use for them.

By the time the couple reached the bedroom, Grissom's pants and glasses had been discarded and long forgotten. Sara and Grissom parted, both of them breathing heavily. Sara slid her hands from around his neck to his chest and began to slowly unbutton the shirt. Continuing to undo his shirt, Sara placed slow, gentle kisses along Grissom's rough, haired left cheek and jawbone. Trailing down to his neck, she had his shirt half way off. Droplets of water condensed on his skin, which Sara removed with more kisses.

Grissom's hands moved down from Sara's back to the front of her pants, where he began to fumble with the button. With it undone, Grissom skimmed her pants down her long legs, letting the heavy material pool at her feet. Sara had finished unbuttoning his shirt when his hands moved over the silky fabric of her panties. Her breath caught in her throat as he toyed with her, slowing torturing, before skimming them down with her pants. She pulled him up by his shirt and kissed him hard, working the shirt off.

When the kiss broke, the rest of her clothes were discarded to the floor. His arms encircled her in a gentle, loving embrace before he tightened his hold and picked her up and gave her a breathtaking kiss. Grissom placed her on the unmade bed and laid her down on her back. His body had her pinned down, his weight kept off hers by his propped up elbows.

Sara could feel as of him as they kissed. Not just his tongue doing an intricate dance with her own, but the hardness of his body against hers, his own evident need pressing against her pelvis, holding her down. Just the thin cotton of Grissom's boxers separated them from becoming one entity and the feel of him being so close, yet so far away, heightened both her eagerness and frustration. Sara's patience had evaporated at the door.

Her hands searched for the waistband of his boxers and quickly finding them. She began to pull them down, but could only get them so far. That was a big problem to her, seeing as they weren't down nearly far enough.

"Little help?" Sara breathed, breaking the long kiss.

Grissom's eye flashed with amusement. "Why the rush, Sara? I was thinking we could take our time tonight…" he trailed off and kissed her pouting lips.

She shoved his chest lightly, breaking the kiss. "No. Not tonight. I can't wait. I want you too much to wait." Her eyes drifted shut as his mouth began to move down her neck.

"What my lady wants, she will get." Grissom's voice was husky in her eyes, sending shivers of desire through her.

He lifted his weight off her and removed them quickly. The man placed himself back down between her thighs. Sara automatically shifted herself to give him more access, but he ignored it. Instead he moved against her, refusing her enter her yet. Sara gasped in pleasure.

"Gillll…don't tease me, please, don't tease me." Her nails dug into his shoulders.

"Technically, it's morning." He murmured, dropping a kiss on her ear.

"I don't…care…quit teasing me…make love to me." He moved against her against her again and she gasped out urgently, "Please!"

"I love it when you beg." He met her gaze, his blue eyes darkening with passion.

She managed a smile. "I know you do." She raised her head up and caught his lips in one last kiss.

Without warning, he plunged into her with such force she gave a yelp of surprise into his mouth. Grissom moved inside her hard, fast for a few wonderful moments then pulled out of her slowly. Sara whimpered and moved against him. The man re-entered her slowly, watching her face as waves of pleasure washed over her features. She began to move with him, meeting his slow, steady rhythm. As the slow tempo changed into a faster, heavier pace, her nails scorched his back.

Soon, he was pounding into her, her cries of pleasure driving him faster. Sara felt the blissful spiraling of an orgasm blooming. She could feel it in the tension in his body that he was almost there too. Sara bit her bottom lip hard as her world began to dissolve. Grissom grunted deep in his throat; the sound sending jolts through her body. They came in unison, screaming each other's names, gripping each other tight as the pleasure rode them.

Their cries of passion gave into heavy, harsh breaths. Grissom collapsed on top of Sara, resting his head on the hollow below the span of her throat. The woman muttered something inaudible.

"What was that?" he asked, finding his voice.

"You gotta get off me, I can't feel my legs." She repeated tiredly.

Grissom chuckled, a satisfied male sound, "I don't think that has anything to do with my weight."

"Don't care. Get off."

With a smile, he obliged her. Grissom rolled onto his back, and brought her with him. They adjusted themselves so they could spoon. Once comfortable, Sara's sweat covered body mixed with the chilly air of the bedroom and shivered against him. Grissom's hand found the long forgotten sheet and pulled it over them. Soon, sleep claimed them, the heat of their bodies comforting them and the sound of the rain lulling them to sleep like a soft, gentle lullaby.

The Next Morning

The rain had finally stopped. The sun was shining in the sky like the rain had been nothing but a dream. Sara awoke entangled with Grissom, their bodies touching ever-so-intimately. She raised her head off of his chest and looked up at his face to meet his gentle blue eyes.

"G'morning, Gil." She said, laying her head back down, her gaze remaining on his.

"Good morning." He replied, bringing his hand to her head and burrowing his fingers in the silky locks.

"I have a question…"

"Hmmm?"

"How did you know it was going to rain after I got the blood sample?"

"The air smelt sweeter."

"I didn't notice anything."

Grissom smiled slowly. "When you loose one of your senses, the other's grow stronger."

"But you didn't loose your hearing, Gil."

"No, but I learned all about what it would be like growing up."

Sara smiled slightly and placed a hand on his chest. She then raised herself up and kissed him on the lips. He had shared something very personal with her. For him, that was a big step, as she already was well aware of. It was a sign to hear that he was becoming more open and comfortable with their growing relationship.

When they broke apart, Grissom smiled wickedly and rolled over, bring her bringing her beneath him. Their kisses grew deeper and more reckless. Sara's hands began to roam and torture. The man growled in annoyance, causing her to chuckle deep within her throat; very much the smug, satisfied woman. Like the sometimes cruel hand that fate liked to deal, the sound of Grissom's cell phone echoed into the room.

"Oh, god damn it." The man muttered, doing his best to ignore it.

When the ringing persisted, Sara smirked.

"Shouldn't you be getting that?"

"No…not time for work yet. Time for other things."

"Oh, just go get your phone! I'm not going anywhere."

"Damn it!" the man groaned and got out of bed.

Sara's light chuckle floated after him as he exited the room. Grissom made his way through the house, his eyes falling on the scattered clothing that decorated the path to the bedroom. He finally found his phone in his coat, that was haphazardly perched on one of the chairs in the living room. The man removed the nuisance from his pocket and opened it.

"Grissom." He said into the phone, sounding, as he hoped, calm.

"It's Jim. You're scene's been tampered with…again. But, this time, there a message for you…Sara's name's in it, but it's addressed to you…by the way, can you German?"

The man furrowed his brows. "Yes…why?"

"The message is written in German."

The brows knotted closer together. "That's odd."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be here."

"I'll be there shortly."

The man hung up and raised his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. Grissom then retrieved his clothes as he made his way back to the bedroom. Sara was sitting up in her bed, the covers pulled around her.

"Who was it?"

"Brass. Our scene's been disturbed again. And evidently, there's a message for me."

"Should I come with you?" she asked, watching him dress.

"No. I'll make it quick…besides I'm wearing the same clothes as yesterday. If you showed up with me, how would that look?"

"Suspicious."

"Correct, honey."

Sara moved to the edge of the bed. "Hurry back to me?"

"Of course." He moved to her and kissed her on the lips.

When the kiss broke, Grissom headed toward the door, but froze and turned as Sara's voice reached him.

"Gil…I, uh…I, um…" she smiled shyly and shook her head, "Nevermind."

"What is it, baby?"

"Nothing. Forget about it. Go on. The quicker you come back…" She trailed off, grinning lustily.

"If you don't stop looking at me like that, I'll never leave."

Sara threw a pillow at him. "Get moving!"

With a laugh, he was gone.

xoxoxoxox

For the third time I three long days, the man walked into the alleyway off Freemont Street. Brass was staring at the right wall, his brows furrowed and his mouth drawn into a confused frown. The message had been sprayed on the brick wall with red spray paint.

"So, Doc, what does it say?" he asked.

"Wenn Sie dies lesen, wird es zu spät sein, zu helfen...Sara"

"And that means?"

"If you read this, it will be too late to help…Sara…" the man read, then paused and shared a stricken expression with his friend, "Oh, fuck!"

The two men bolted to their vehicles and peeled out of the parking lot.

xoxoxoxox

The pair, with the aid of their sirens, reached Sara's house in ten minutes. Grissom didn't even bother to shut off the SUV after he parked it in Sara's driveway. He and Jim rushed into the house with the guns drawn. They slowed after they passed the threshold. The two men split up, each hugging the walls as they searched the rooms, finding each empty.

Grissom's heart pounded hard in his chest as he approached the bedroom. Gun first, he entered the room to find it in shambles. Her bedside lamp was on the floor, shattered. The mattress was flipped over off its frame. His nose caught the scent of something familiar. Heavy copper; strong enough to leave the tasted in the back of his mouth. _Blood_.

Grissom's gaze rose to the walls; wear a blood smears slashed the lilac painted walls. One smear was a smudged handprint. _No_….

"Griss!" Jim called, "There's a puddle of blood in the second bathroom, but the house is empty…Sara is gone. I'm gonna call this in."

"Alert my team. Our CSI, our case."

xoxoxoxox

By the time Warrick, Catherine, and Nick arrived, Grissom had already begun taking pictures of the bedroom and bathroom. They stood behind him, watching him as he photographed the living room.

"Nicky, Warrick, take the bedroom. Catherine, take the bathroom." The man handed out the assignments roboticly, his voice hollow.

The team, in no mood to argue, split up without a word. Once in the bedroom, Warrick exhaled heavily as his green eyes absorbed the room.

"There's blood on the wall." Nick said with wide eyes.

"I know." Warrick replied softly, "C'mon, let's flip over the mattress."

The two men easily turned it over so it was back on its frame. With the mattress face-up, they saw the tell-tale spot of mixed fluids on the fitted sheet. The pair exchanged looks.

"This can mean one of two things…" Nick said.

"Let's just hope Sara's got a secret boyfriend." Warrick replied, taking a sample of the fluids.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Nick and Warrick brought the samples of the fluids and the blood directly to DNA. Greg had been called in to handle the evidence. The usual happy-go-lucky lab techie was now serious and somber. His crush on Sara was known to all and with her life in the hands of some unknown assailant, he was all business. The three men stood in silence as they awaited the results.

The blood was finished first. The printer whirled out a sheet of paper. Greg snatched it up and scanned it.

"The blood is Sara's." he said, sadness clear in his voice.

"Damn." Nick said.

"Someone got her good." Warrick told the younger man, "There was blood on the bedroom wall and in the bathroom."

"Jesus." Greg shook his head.

The second printer printed out its result with a soft hum. The tech grabbed it and read it.

"Female contribution…Sara's." he read, then his brows furrowed then raised slightly, his mouth tightening around the edges.

"What is it, Greggo?" Nick asked gently.

"The male donation…is…Grissom's."

Warrick and Nick shared wide-eyed looks.

"Whoa."

"No.Way."

"Did I just hear you right?" Catherine's voice came from the doorway.

"That you did." Replied a still frowning Greg.

"Sorry, Greggo." She said, giving him a sympathetic look.

He shrugged. Catherine took the paper from him and ripped it up.

"What's that for, Cath?" Nick demanded.

"Do want Ecklie to find this?" she asked.

"No."

"Thought not." She smiled, "Besides, it's not important to our case. It just proves Sara wasn't raped…she's dating Grissom."

Warrick nodded. "Which isn't a bad thing."

"We've got to talk to Grissom." Nick said, "He was with her before she was kidnapped."

"Yeah."

Catherine and Warrick left the lab and headed down the hall to Grissom's office. Nick gave Greg a sympathetic pat on the back before he hurried off to join the pair.

The trio approached the man's office to find the door closed. Catherine, like usual, entered in without so much as a knock.

"Why don't you come in, Cath?" Grissom said with a frown from his spot in front of his tarantula's cage.

Warrick shut the door after they were all inside and leaned against it.

"So Gris, when did you start fucking Sara?" Catherine asked bluntly.

The supervisor's eyes narrowed and he frowned at them.

"Leave it up to you to simmer that down to the blatantly crude."

"Well, spill, Gris, what's going on with you two." Warrick said.

"There is nothing to talk about. Listen to the evidence." He replied vaguely.

"Gris, you _have_ to tell us what's going on with you and Sara." Nick felt anger boil up inside him at his boss's usual closed-off attitude.

"It's not relevant, Nicky."

"But it is, Grissom! Sara is gone and you're shutting down like usual!" the young man argued back.

"I told you that I am _not_ discussing this!" Grissom said through clenched teeth, his usual stoic features replaced by glaring eyes and a grim frown.

"We found evidence of _you in her bed_!" an equally angry Nick replied, "And now she's missing and you're holding back information that could help us find a timeline!"

"Look, Griss, we know you're having sex with Sara. You can't deny it. As you always say: 'evidence doesn't lie.'" Catherine said from her post against the door.

Silence filled the room as the supervisor sat down in his desk chair, looking tired.

"C'mon, boss." Warrick added from besides Catherine,

"What you say won't leave this office."

"No." replied Grissom firmly.

With the last shred of patience gone, the woman exploded.

"God damn it, Gil!" she hissed, "Don't you ever want to see Sara _again?_ _Alive_?"

Grissom closed his eyes for a moment and flinched slightly as the images of the bloodstained wall of Sara bedroom played behind his closed lids. The man sighed deeply. _Sara…_

"After yesterday's shift, I went home with her, we had sex, as you already know, I stayed with her until Brass called me…then you know what went on from there."

"What time were you there?" Nick asked, his anger wiped away by the sad expression on his friend's face.

"We got to her house about seven-thirty, I left about eleven."

"How long have you and Sara been…involved?" Warrick asked, curious.

"I'm glad you finally got your head away from your microscope." Catherine declared, a small smile on her lips as she recalled their past conversation.

A small responding smile formed on his. "So am I."

The office phone rang, causing everyone, but Grissom, to jump slightly. The man picked up the phone and answered it.

"Grissom."

"Hello, Mr. Grissom." A distorted voice replied, sending a shiver of fear down Grissom's spine, "If you would like to see Miss Sidle alive again, you must follow my instructions _very_ carefully."

Grissom closed his eyes and slowed his breathing as the man continued.

"Get the bracelet. Meet me in the Blue Diamond off the I-15. I want no police involved, no other member of your team. Just you, or Miss Sidle will be dead."

"How do I know she's not already." He winced as the words came out of his mouth.

"You don't."

Another voice, Sara's voice, exploded from the other end.

"Gil! Gil! Help me!"

The distorted voice overpowered her cries. "Shut up!"

The sudden sharp sound of skin to skin contact came through the phone. Grissom flinched and closed his eyes again.

"And, Mr. Grissom, if I find the smallest trace of fingerprint power in the glue, **I. Will. Kill. Her.** And you will watch, be there at one."

The line disconnected and the dial tone hummed in his ear. The man dropped the phone carelessly back on its cradle. He raised his eyes to his team who met his gaze with overwhelming concern.

"It was the kidnapper…I have to bring him the bracelet…"

"We're coming with you." Warrick said instantly.

"No." Grissom said firmly, "Get Jim and EMS and wait for my call."

Catherine inclined her head. "Anything else?"

A tight, lost expression touched his features. "Pray."

xoxoxox

Grissom stood outside Sara's Tahoe, which he'd been using the entire case, at his appointed destination. The bracelet, contained in its original evidence baggie, was in his palm. He stared at the bag. _This small trinket is worth her life._ The man felt the first inkling of fear. She was injured and bleeding. Who knew what that man was doing to her…

The criminalist didn't have to wonder for long. A black seabring pulled up besides the SUV. A man dressed all in black and a Pennywise the Clown mask got out the driver side door and dragged Sara, who was sitting in the passenger seat, out with him. He drew a knife from his pants pocket and placed it against her throat.

"The bracelet, Mr. Grissom." He ordered as he approached.

"Give me Sara first."

"No. The bracelet."

Grissom tossed it at him. The masked man caught the bag and inspected it. The CSI held his breath as he waited for what seemed like an eternity. The other man lowered the knife and shoved Sara forward. Grissom took her hand and brought her behind him, taking her away from the danger. He glared at the man with an unspoken threat and a future warning.

The masked man got back into his car and sped off. Grissom exhaled and turned to face Sara.

"Oh, honey." He breathed, his eyes scanned over her wounds.

There was a bruise and a cut on her forehead. Dried blood turned her red shirt brown, the wound underneath was a mystery. Tears glittered in her dark eyes and she began to tremble.

"Gil." Her voice was tiny, a soft, scared sound that broke the man's heart.

His fingertips traced her cheeks, his thumb traced her lips. He took her into his arms and he wrapped his arms around her gentle and she rested her head on his shoulder as she began to sob. Grissom's chin rested on her head and stroked her hair. After her crying ceased, the man pulled his walkie-talkie out of his pocket and alerted his team.

"It's over." He said into the device, but his gaze stayed locked on Sara, "It's over."


End file.
